The Door That Never Closes
by pinkprincess021
Summary: Exactly one year after the ceremonial duel, Yugi goes back to Egypt to honor his lost friend. However his heart is still grieving from the lost of his valued friend. "Friendship is like a door that never closes, once you open it, it stays open."


The pounding of the waves against the ships hull proved almost enough to distract him. He wanted it so much, he wanted so hard to forget it even happed, to forget him. A few salty tears ran down his cheeks, falling into the sea, mixing with the cold, unforgiving waves. "It's been a year and I still can't forget you…" The shaking voice of the frail teen was able to force out between his dry lips. "I- I want to forget, but I, just can't-!" No that wasn't true; he didn't want to forget, he wanted the pain to subside. "I-I- just want-! " His knuckles gripped the steel railing, turning them whiter than his skin already was. His free hand clutched a spot just slightly above the center of his chest, the spot where the millennium puzzle should have been. Instead, all he gripped was his blackberry shirt, his fingers brushing against his heavy metal chain. The chain seemed to burn when it touched his skin, like a sin had embedded itself into his very being. He shouldn't even have this chain, the only reason he did was because he'd forgotten he had left it on his neck when he escaped the ancient tomb. He knew he wasn't even supposed to have this chain, but, he couldn't find it in his cracked soul to abandon it. After all, it was the only thing he had left of his other half, his beloved friend, his blood brother…..his precious yami.

This wasn't how fate was expected to unfold, he was supposed to separate from his yami and forget…but, how could he?! Atem himself had told him that it was time to for Yugi to be strong and face the world on his own, and Yugi accepted this but, how could he accept Atem leaving? The answer was that he couldn't. Sure he took it upon himself to maintain his title as the king of games, not to mention he was noticeably more confident and self assured; however deep inside his aching heart a great pain was always present. He tried his best to put on a brave face, his voice telling him that it's what Atem would have wanted and Yugi knew that this was true, but his heart always won. Every one of his friends could see the emptiness in his far sharper eyes, the dullness in his eyes when he was dueling. Of course he'd never lost, but his heart wasn't in the game, more often than not he seemed to make novice mistakes during the duel, but somehow managed to win within a mere one hundred life points of defeat. His love for the game was mostly the only thing that kept Yugi from quitting the game entirely, besides the fact that he wanted to keep Atems memory alive in his heart.

The sea breeze pulled him back to his body, his soft sobs dying down with the gusting breeze. His tears had dried on his face, the taste of his own sorrow coating his lips. His golden bangs, now tangled from the gust of wind, had become longer with a few more beginning to grow near the crown of his head. The black and light violet tips of his spiked hair had stayed the same except for growing a bit lager in size. He ran his hand through his complicated layered hair; a sigh could be heard as he did so. His left arms had let go of the metal bar, now whipping the dried tears away from his pure yet broken violet eyes. The violet orbs looked ahead seeing only the deep blue of the sea. "Mr. Mutou, forgive my intrusion but the captain informed me that we will be landing in Egypt in the morning. I recommend you get some rest sir." The ship attendant said with a slight hesitation in his voice, presumably afraid to speak due to hearing the young duelist sobs from the lower portion of the ship.

"Yes thank you sir, I'll retire to my bed now." Yugi said with fake cheer in his dry voice, his lips forming an artificial smile. "Very well, have a good night, sir." The man lifted his hat with his right limb, taking off his hat as a gesture of kindness and respect, before walking off into the control room. Yugi breathed in the crisp night air, his deep violet eyes gazing up at the billions of white stars, trapped in the blanket of shaded blue. With a final sigh he descended down the stairs that lead to his temporary room. The stairs creaked every time his boots came in contact with the wood, his footsteps growing louder and louder with each step. It reminded him of the time just before the ceremonial duel. He remembered how damp it was there, the moisture clinging to his school uniform; the odor of five thousand years old decaying bodies was so foul that it stung his eyes causing them to burn with tears. If he would have been alone he would have instantly shielded his mouth and nose; however he kept his hands down to avoid disrespecting Marik, Ishizu, and his yami. It was so dark down there he now marveled at the faint darkness within the puzzle, both of his pupils desperate to find a source of light.

It surprised himself that those details were so fresh and vivid in his mind, his surroundings so clear, the sounds still audible in his ears, the pain fresh in his heart. He was glad, however, that his surroundings now were nothing of that sort. At least here below the deck, the walls were made of sleek metal, and the floor made of the finniest wood. Pleasant to his nose, the smell of salt and ocean water was never more noticeable than here. Even though he was technically not supposed to pick up the sent, he couldn't help but search for it, as it had always calmed him when he was a child. The faint rays of the moon dimly lit the hallway to his room, the giant sphere clearly visible through the glass window. These specks of sense crowded his mind so much that he barley even realized his hand was turned the rusted knob to his room.

The door creaked as he opened and closed it, annoyed how the clean-up crew never bothered to fix the only thing that bothered him about this ship. Staying true to his peppy and innocent self, he mentally ignored it. However he didn't ignore the bundle of roses on his desk. Without a word he sat in his chair, although he knew it was about to collapse any minute considering how beat up and shaky it was. He ignored that too. Searching in his pants pocket he pulled out a pocket knife opening the blade with his thumb. With great care he picked up each rose one by one in his hand, using the knife to trim away the thorns that jutted out of the delicate stem. Being as close as he was to the blossom of the rose, it was inevitable that he would smell the light fragrance that each one gave off. It was a welcomed changed to him since all he smelled since he got here was rotten fish and sea air. A slight grin formed only for a second until he pricked his finger on the thorn underneath the cover of the rose petals. "Awe freak!" He shouted, biting he toughen before he uttered a foul word. His legs rushed his to the bathroom near his bed, when his finger began to bleed more profusely, the blood gushing out of the seemingly small wound. A towel was pressed against the wound as Yugi quickly tried to find what he needed.

With merciful luck he had found the brown bottle under the sink and a box of bandages in the medicine cabinet. He unscrewed the cap with his good hand, applying a thin stream of rubbing alcohol to the cotton ball. He removed the towel from his finger which had been soaked in blood and hesitantly applied the cotton ball to his damaged skin. He hissed and gritted his teeth, his eyes shut so tight they almost hurt from doing so. After about a minute he discarded the cotton ball and wrapped his finger with the thin strip of bandage. A mental sigh of relief meant that the pain had now subsided. Now, since the pain was gone, he now noticed he reeked of fish and salt water, his face expressing disgust. Without a second thought he stripped himself of all his clothes, throwing them next to his suitcase in the other room.

The steam from the shower quickly filled the bathroom, his body hot from inhaling the warm mist. His skin no longer felt tight and grimy as his favorite soap washed away down his tall frame. The pure aroma of his favorite wash was so crisp and clean, he deeply inhaled the air, the steam circling the shower. Feeling refreshed he drowned himself with the shower water pouring from the shower head, the foamy soap sliding down his body. He knew from plain memory that his body was much more muscular now, his limbs and chest strong and refined. His cinnamon arm pulled away the shower curtain reaching the towel that hung on the rod, the droplets of water hitting the tile floor. With minimal effort he dried off his cleansed skin, then lazily throwing the towel in the corner. In less than a minute he dug through his suitcase looking for some sort of clothing. His hands managed to find clothing for the lower portion of his body, deciding to dress the other half in the morning.

Dressed in his favorite blue jeans he combed his hair with little worry, the yellow, black, and dark pink layers falling neatly in place. Then he found himself on his cold, hard bed, his fingers twist the knob on the clock to set the alarm. A loud yawn made his mouth open and his eyes close. In one swift motion he covered himself in the wool blanket, curling himself up into a warm ball. Twenty seconds of darkness and he opened his eyes, the blurry shape coming into focus. A few blinks and he laid his bright orbs on the golden box that sat on his desk, the box that the millennium puzzle had come in. Without any effort to hold them back, crystal droplets ran down his face.


End file.
